What just happened? Remember when notches were only found on phones? Not only does Apple’s new MacBook Pros come with cutouts, it appears that a smartwatch being developed by Meta, which until yesterday was known as Facebook, is building a smartwatch with a notch and front-facing camera.
The image was discovered by app developer Steve Moser and published by Bloomberg. Moser found it inside Facebook’s app for its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, suggesting the same app could be used to control the watch once it’s released.
The device, referred to as ‘Milan’ in the code, appears to have a large display with rounded corners that’s not too different from the Apple Watch. It also seems to have a stainless-steel body and detachable straps.
In addition to revealing its Milan codename, which could also be the final product’s name—there was a MetaWatch in 2014—the code suggests that video and photos captured on the watch could be downloaded to a phone.
Assuming this is the same watch The Verge reported on back in February, the watch will have a second 1080p auto-focus camera on the back that can capture footage when detached from the body, which sounds quite interesting. It’s also said to come with LTE support, messaging capabilities, and have fitness-focused features such a heart monitor. There will reportedly be three generations of the watch released at different times. Whether the feature set will change in each model remains unknown.
It was previously reported that the watch would arrive in the Summer of 2022. Bloomberg also believes it will launch next year but adds that no final decision has been made.
It’s been a busy few days for Facebook/Meta. The company has changed its corporate name, announced its Oculus Quest headsets no longer require Facebook accounts, and revealed the Project Cambria Mixed Reality Headset.